


A Helping Hand for the Hero

by rarmaster



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 05:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8433658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarmaster/pseuds/rarmaster
Summary: Eri arrives in the Underworld, hot on Cloud's tail. But unfortunately, a certain god of the dead wants to make a deal....





	

**Author's Note:**

> I really really loved the Olympus plot in KHUX so here's the first of what might be a couple re-tellin's of how it went. We'll see!

Eri wiped the sweat off her brow and banished her Keyblade, allowing herself a small laugh at the way Cerberus ran off, clambering over its own feet. Hades shouting after it was pretty funny too.

Her smile faltered, though, as Hades approached her.

He was smiling a wide smile that she supposed was meant to be pleasant. “Heeyy, my friend. My buddy. My chum,” he said, as he approached.

Eri wasn’t sure she could get away with scowling at him, but her eyes narrowed in distrust nonetheless. Distrust, and… well. That _sure was_ a string of phrases to be called.

“Who woulda thought you’d defeat Cerberus, huh?” he said, walking once in a slow circle around her. Eri watched him from the corner of her eyes, not wanting to spin around in circles to keep track of him. “Trust me, nobody would taken _that_ bet!”

He laughed heartily, and then paused and looked her up and down, as if measuring her.

“But, hey, you know what they say? Don’t judge a scroll by its roll.”

Eri opened her mouth, but… couldn’t think of anything good to say. Hades didn’t really give her a chance, either. He leaned in and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. This was… probably the least comfortable position she’d been in, actually. And that was with the experience of accidentally falling asleep in a room that wasn’t her own under her belt. ( _That_ sure had been embarrassing to explain when the disgruntled owner of the room had woken her up.)

“Now, I’m thinking you wanna be stronger, right? ‘Course you do!” He squeezed her shoulder, talking rapidly. “Well, you’re in luck, because I know just the guy who can help you out. _Me!_ ”

“Now, hang on,” Eri began, holding up a hand to protest.

“Come on, don’t be shy!” Hades laughed. His grip around her shoulders tightened. _Definitely_ the most uncomfortable position she’d ever been in it. Also, she didn’t understand how Hades could, somehow, be both cold and hot at once?? It was very disconcerting.

Hades put a hand out in front of him, drawing it through the air.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” he said, as if it was on display there before them. “You’ll be mentored by the one and _only_ Lord of the Dead. Whaddaya say, pal?”

Eri took a deep breath, lowering her own hand, chewing it over. Hades had been complaining earlier, about Cloud. Maybe he knew where Cloud was? Either way, she wasn’t going to get free reign of the place if she told him no.

“Well… alright, I guess,” she said, nodding slowly.

It wasn’t like she had to listen to him, in the end.

“Great! It’s a deal!” Hades clapped her on the back with enough force to make her stagger, and Eri yelped a little in surprise.

She coughed to get air back into her lungs as she straightened. Then she dusted herself off. She found she had to speak around a lump in her throat when she addressed Hades, but:

“So? What’s your plan for making me stronger?” she asked.

Hades grinned like he’d been hoping she’d ask.

“Easy! Darkness,” he answered. “Darkness is the only real power in the world, after all.”

Eri laughed and raised her eyebrows. “Says who?”

Hades tutted and wagged a finger at her. “Everything was born from darkness, my good friend. _Everything._ ” There was a glint in his eyes. “So if you can control darkness, you can control everything, got it?”

Eri shrugged.

“Sure.”

She didn’t really believe him at all, but she wasn’t going to get anywhere if she outright argued with him, either. Nor did she have the energy to try.

“Great, glad we’re on the same page.” Hades started walking away, but then he snapped his fingers and turned around. “Oh! Almost forgot. Before we start, I’m gonna need proof that you can _handle_ the darkness here in the Underworld.”

“ _Proof?_ ” Eri asked, squeaking a little in indignation. What kind of proof did he want? She hoped he didn’t want to see what she had to offer as far as darkness went, because summoning some just to prove she could was the _last_ thing she wanted to do. She would, if she had to—she knew _how_ —but she always hated the way it clung to her skin afterwards, and…

“Don’t worry, it’ll be just one easy-peasy little test,” Hades said, smiling a _very_ unpleasant smile. He pointed at something behind Eri, and Eri turned, seeing what it was. A corridor. “Your first job as my underling is to get to my office. Alive.”

Oh. That wouldn’t be so bad, then.

“Little advice,” Hades said, and when Eri turned back to him, he was vanishing in a puff of flame. His voice continued even after he was gone, though. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

Eri nodded, and started moving. This answered which way she was going to go, too. She just hoped she’d bump into Cloud on the way…

“So you’re really doing it, huh…?” came a small voice, from behind her.

Surprised, Eri turned. Then she saw it was just Chirithy.

“Oh!! Chirithy,” she said. She wanted to smile at them, but then saw the vague look in their eyes. The way they wouldn’t look at her directly. Eri’s smile faltered.

“Remember where you are,” Chirithy said. “The Underworld.”

“Yeah, I…” Eri began, but then she remembered what Chirithy had told her about the Underworld. How it was a dark place, full of traps. They must have thought she’d walked right into one.

She started to laugh, and tell them that it was alright, she had it under control, but…

Then she remembered Hades. The way he was watching from somewhere she couldn’t see while she fought Cerberus. The way his voice carried places even when he wasn’t standing in the room. He probably knew everything that was going on in the Underworld. He was probably listening right now.

He couldn’t know she wasn’t planning on keeping this deal.

Which meant Chirithy couldn’t know, either.

It wasn’t safe to tell them.

Chirithy sighed, shoulders hunched. Seeing the disappointment on their face made Eri’s chest ache.

“Darkness… may be the shortcut to power,” they said, slowly. “But… you might not be able to turn back once you head down that road…”

“Chirithy…” Eri began. Maybe she could tell them not to worry. They wouldn’t understand, but—

“But in the end… What you do is up to you,” Chirithy finished, with another heavy sigh, and a hesitance in their voice. They turned away from her, their entire body drooped. “I’m only here to watch over you. That’s all.”

Eri was sure her heart broke, right then and there. But there was nothing she could do.

Chirithi vanished in a familiar cloud of dust in sparkles, leaving her alone.

Eri sighed to herself, squeezing her eyes shut, for a moment.

But the longer she took, the longer she’d keep Hades waiting. And the longer she took, the longer it’d be before she could tell Chirithy the truth.

Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a hard candy and popped it into her mouth. She rolled the familiarity of it around on her tongue—candy always helped her on tough missions. Sure that she was as ready to go as she’d ever be, Eri summoned her Keyblade and set off. She had a long way to go, and she couldn’t afford to dally.

She just hoped, when all of this was over, Chirithy would forgive her.


End file.
